‘PAINFUL’ CLAIM FOR AUSSIE GP DATE MOVE
FORMULA One stars Sergio Perez and George Russell have suggested Australia’s position on the Formula One calendar is unviable with the Red Bull driver saying it was “painful for everybody” to travel so far for a single race.
After the Covid pandemic forced the cancellation of the Albert Park Grand Prix the past two years, Australia has lost its traditional position as the F1 seasonopener and is the third race on the calendar this year.
In its place, the season opener in 2021 and 2022 was held in Bahrain, which hosts the second and final pre-season test.
Russell said Melbourne worked as the season-opener but having it in between races made the amount of travel and the time needed to adjust to the time zone difference “too tough” on all the Europe-based teams.
If Australia was not going to be the season opener, Russell said the Grand Prix needed to be a double-header with another race in the Middle East or Asia.
“I think Melbourne here as the season-opener was really cool because everybody came up here early and there was a lot of excitement and anticipation,” Russell said. “But having Melbourne in between races, especially as a stand-alone is too tough for the teams and everybody.
“People came out on Saturdays and Sundays to get acclimatised to the conditions, to the time zone change and it is just too much.
“I think it needs to be thought about more. There is no reason we couldn’t do a back-to-back with one of the Middle Eastern races. But it feels like another double-header for all the teams with the amount of time they spend in this part of the world.
“As the season is getting longer and longer, we need to get a better balance.”
Perez said: “It works well at the moment because we are doing the winter testing in Bahrain, it makes sense to stay there.
“But it really has to be back-toback with one of those races because just coming to Australia for a single race is quite painful for everyone.”
Ferrari star Carlos Sainz said it was a shame Melbourne no longer opened the season.
“(It’s a) bit of a shame it is not the number one race,” Sainz said.
“It gives you that extra vibe to come all the way here, it’s such a long trip.”
Asked if the Australian Grand Prix should end the season instead, Russell said he was happy for Melbourne to be at any position on the calendar but more thought needed to be given to placing it geographically alongside other races.
“If it is geographically correct ... we are happy for it to be at any point of the season. We obviously race very far east with Japan and Singapore, China obviously, not this year, but it is on the calendar from next year onwards,” Russell said.
“I just think there is a better compromise to be had.”